STATE, U.S. TO COORDINATE MANAGEMENT OF UTAH LANDS

Gov. Norm Bangerter joined state and federal officials Monday to announce a new cooperative effort to manage public lands in Utah and to educate residents on the value of the state's archaeological resources and the evils of vandalism.

"Utah is a tremendous storehouse of prehistoric and historic resources," Bangerter said at a press conference. "We must protect all that we have which contributes to our understanding of local and regional history."Bangerter and representatives of the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service signed a memorandum of understanding that creates a process for developing coordinated management plans for parts of the state to protect archaeological resources. A pilot plan will be developed in southeast Utah.